North Carolina Wine Country Surry County Wine Trail Adds New Wineries, Experiences

North Carolina's WINE COUNTRY

SURRY TRAIL REACHES MILESTONE WITH OPENING OF NEW WINERIES

Surry County Wine Trail is celebrating a milestone as a recent flurry of openings pushed the number of wineries to 20 in Yadkin Valley.

The November debut of Golden Road Vineyards in State Road capped four straight months in which the trail gained a winery.

It started with the August opening of Pilot Mountain Vineyards in Pinnacle. Next, in September, was Serre Vineyards in Mount Airy – followed in October by Hidden Vineyard in Dobson.

“It’s a huge accomplishment to reach 20 wineries on the Surry County Wine Trail,” said Jessica Roberts, executive director of the Tourism Partnership of Surry County. “The addition of these four wineries sets up our visitors for many new experiences and return trips.”

Owners Chad and Crista Guebert intended to pop the cork at Golden Road Vineyards much earlier in 2020, but pandemic year challenges altered that schedule. “Everything was delayed by COVID-19, and we were just glad to finally open Thanksgiving weekend,” Chad Guebert said. “I guess it was meant to be that we would be No. 20 in 2020.”

Golden Road, like many Yadkin Valley vineyards, tweaked its operation plan to focus on outdoor tastings. The Gueberts built an open-air patio featuring three firepits and eventually added two more pits that can be used on busier days.

“Even with the pandemic, people want to get out, and wineries are a good way to get out and stay distanced,” Crista Guebert said.

Photo by Sam Dean

Local tourism leaders launched the Surry County Wine Trail with 15 wineries in January 2018. Roberts explained that it was instantly successful and fueled an increase in tourists to the area – pointing to the latest spending impact numbers from Visit NC, showing Surry County visitors spent nearly $138 million in 2019.

“The popularity of Yadkin Valley in general, and the Surry County Wine Trail in particular, is drawing folks to our area,” Roberts said.. “Visitors are excited about the number of wineries, which encourages them to stay longer and do more. They like that we have laid out the trail for them and made it easy to find their way around wine county.”

In addition to the four new wineries, the other trail wineries include Adagio, Carolina Heritage, Elkin Creek, Grassy Creek, Haze Gray, Herrera, JOLO, Jones von Drehle, McRitchie, Old North State, Rayson, Round Peak, Shelton, Slightly Askew, Stony Knoll and Surry Cellars.

The newly updated Surry County Wine Trail map brochure also features four breweries and a distillery – plus information about vineyard lodging, the varietals of grapes grown in the region and a listing of annual events. To download a digital version of the trail map brochure or request a copy via mail, visit YadkinValleyNC.com/guides.

Surry County Wine Trail Notes

n A free full-color trail map of North Carolina’s

Yadkin Valley wine country – which highlights 20 wineries in and around Surry County, plus four breweries and a distillery, is available by request at yadkinvalleync. com (a downloadable PDF of the map is also available). n Yadkin Valley American Viticultural

Area (AVA) was born in Surry County – and achieved official status from the federal government in 2003 (making it North

Carolina’s first AVA).

Photos by Sam Dean

Photo courtesy of Surry County Tourism

Yadkin Valley Upcoming Events

4/10 Living Rhythms, interactive workshop hosted by Surry Arts Council; 1 pm; learn the rhythms and songs of West Africa’s musical traditions. Andy Griffith Playhouse, 218 Rockford St., Mount Airy.

4/17 Pilot View Vintage Market, featuring 130 vendors offering vintages pieces, antiques, and hand-made items; 9 am. 124 Main St., Downtown Pilot Mountain.

5/15 Running the Vines 5K/10K, a scenic run through the grounds at Shelton Vineyards, 8 am; followed by music, food trucks, hayrides, wine and beer. 286 Cabernet Lane, Dobson.

5/15 Sunset Concert Series, featuring The Chill Tones; 6 pm. Shelton Vineyards, 286 Cabernet Lane, Dobson.

6/4-6 NC Trail Days Festival, celebrating the great outdoors in Elkin, located on the Yadkin River in the Blue Ridge foothills of the Yadkin Valley, 257 Standard St. Elkin.

6/19 Sunset Concert Series, featuring The Embers; 6 pm. Shelton Vineyards, 286 Cabernet Lane, Dobson.

7/17 Sunset Concert Series, featuring Band of Oz; 6 pm. Shelton Vineyards, 286 Cabernet Lane, Dobson. 8/6-7 Reevestock Music Festival, started in 2011 and featuring multiple music genres – including Americana, roots, bluegrass, jazz, country and rock and roll; 5 pm, Fri; 1 pm, Sat. Downtown Elkin, 340 Hawthorne Rd.

8/28 Budbreak Wine & Craft Beer Festival, featuring North Carolina wine and craft beer – plus food vendors and live music; 12 pm. Downtown Mount Airy, 200 N. Main St.

9/18 Sunset Concert Series, featuring The Tams; 6 pm. Shelton Vineyards, 286 Cabernet Lane, Dobson.

9/21-16 Mayberry Days in Andy Griffith’s Hometown; multi-day celebration with various events and activities for fans of The Andy Griffith Show; various locations around Mount Airy.

12/16 Christmas with The Embers, featuring the legendary beach music band; 7:30 pm; Andy Griffith Playhouse, 218 Rockford St., Mount Airy.

For more information on these events – and for additional Yadkin Valley activities, visit yadkinvalleync.com.